Her stomach turned, the coffee in her mouth tasting bitter. She knew the truth. George wasn’t missing. Three years ago, a man had come into emergency with a severed finger that needed to be reattached—a chainsaw accident in the forest where he’d been working with a nearby logging company. He’d registered under a different name, claiming to have lost his health insurance card, but she’d have recognized Cassie and Reed’s dad anywhere. The man had Reed’s blue eyes and the same dark hair. He had a dimple in his chin and a birthmark on his forehead. It had been him.

And the moment he saw her had confirmed it. He’d recognized her despite the years and he’d immediately requested a new surgeon to perform the reattachment. That had been fine with her. She’d been slightly shaken anyway. The way the man had abandoned his family had angered her and he was lucky the hospital had a policy of not turning anyone away.

She’d remembered the day years before, when her friend’s dad hadn’t shown up for his scheduled shift. For three days, they’d had search and rescue out looking for George, but there hadn’t been any sign of him.

Cassie and Reed had been devastated. The lack of closure had been worst of all, but then Cassie had discovered a journal her father had kept secretly for years, talking about his depression and his unhappiness...and she’d started to believe that her father’s disappearance hadn’t been an accident. She had made her peace, believing her father had committed suicide, and even after her encounter with the man, Erika hadn’t reached out to her to tell her any different. She’d tried a few times but hadn’t been confident it was the right thing. Cassie had found her closure, and reopening old wounds seemed hurtful and unnecessary. Obviously, George had no intentions of going back to his family.

Reed had never believed his father had committed suicide. Apparently he still didn’t.

He was still looking for his dad. Was that why he was so dedicated to his position on the search and rescue team? Was he hoping one day the call would lead him to his father...or at least to an answer?

An answer she had.

She felt slightly nauseous. She knew the truth. But did she have the nerve to tell Reed? Would he even want to hear it? Would he believe her?

* * *

LEAVING DIVA OUTSIDE, tied to a pole and being adored by a dozen ski school kids, Reed waited at the front of Wild Blossoms for the florist. Setting their breakfast takeout on the counter, he scanned the bouquets in the freezer behind him.

All flowers looked alike to him and they seemed like a waste of money, but he wanted to surprise Erika with something and none of the other shops were open yet.